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SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2013 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM
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The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Saturday, June 1, from 11:30h to 14:00h. The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Saturday, June 1, from 10:35h to 12:05h.
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Low Tide: 04:05h and 16:37h reaching minimum heights of 0.96 metre and 0.92 metre respectively.
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CFATF has little time for Guyana’s petty politics – Nandlall says maximum use must be made of second chance
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ttorney General Anil Nandlall said the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) has little time to bother with the petty politics being played out here, and warned that if Guyana does not make use of its second chance, the sanctions will come. Nandlall made the remarks to reporters on Friday after returning to Guyana from the meeting on May 27 in Nicaragua. He said, according to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, “the people who are doing this assessment… they have very little time for our little political games we are playing here. They have a very strict regime that they use, you either meet the deadline or you don’t meet the deadline. If you have not met the deadline, why haven’t you met the deadline? If they believe that you have demonstrated bona fides and commitment, they give you a second chance. If you don’t meet the deadline on the second occasion, that’s it! They are absolutely unconcerned about what is going on in Guyana’s Parliament and who believes there is a constitutional crisis and who wants a procurement commission… they don’t care less about these things… they have a task to perform, they have certain criteria that have to be met and if you don’t meet them, then you face the consequences. They are very unattached to the political ramifications and nuances which are taking place in Guyana. ” Nandlall, who led Guyana’s delegation to the meeting, said the team outlined progress made outside of the legislative changes. “This included the hiring of additional staff; the establishment of supervisory authorities, to supervise and monitor the activities of all money transfer agencies, financial institutions, credit unions, and all the other agencies which they had recommended.” In addition, the CFATF in its own report said that 90 per cent or more of the recommendations it made are of a legislative nature. Guyana in turn submitted
At the mercy of opposition
Attorney General Anil Nandlall
to the task force that the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Bill captures these. CFATF agreed that the bill does capture the recommendations, about 90 per cent of them, Minister Nandlall said. It was also told that the bill has been laid in the National Assembly.
Government’s absolute commitment
“We explained, of course, the configuration of the National Assembly and that the government does not enjoy the majority… that a motion was moved from the floor by the opposition that the matter be sent to select committee. We explained, of course, that the government objected to it, explaining the exigencies of the time constraints that we are under in relation to this matter. Notwithstanding our best pleas, a vote was taken from the floor and the matter was referred to select committee. At the select committee, of course, we outlined the government’s every effort in the committee to expedite the hearing and we explained why the hearings of the select committee were not concluded before the deadline date,” the legal affairs minister explained. The minister said that the Guyana team also outlined the opposition’s several requests, which were conceded to, because they involved provision of documents, etc, but the political parties also wanted public hearings and submissions to come from members of the public and interested stakeholders.
“We renewed and restated the government’s absolute commitment to ensure that this legislation is passed in keeping with the recommendations, but that we are, however, basically at the mercy of the opposition, because they control the National Assembly. As a result of that, they appreciated government’s effort thus far, and the progress made, and they said that they are giving us until the November meeting to get that done,” Minister Nandlall stated. He emphasised, however, that in this regard, “it doesn’t mean that we have to wait until November. We have to get this thing completed for the November meeting, and a period of time has to be given for them to examine the legislation to see that it conforms to the recommendations. Of course, I am aware of an impending parliamentary recess, which is to take place in mid-August for nearly a month that will take us way into September. I hope we can complete the consideration of this bill and have it passed by the National Assembly before Parliament goes into recess, so that we have sufficient time to send it to them so that it can be assessed,” he posited. He explained that Dominica and Belize were both granted extensions until the June meeting – Dominica, because its legislation was passed late, and Belize, because that country had just had national elections. Dominica, the AG said, was not removed from consideration, because the CAFTF said very clearly that it needed time to assess the bill to see whether Dominica has conformed. “This point demonstrates that we have to do it within sufficient time, that we don’t lay back and wait until November, that we begin to work as early as possible and have it concluded before Parliament goes into recess,” Minister Nandlall said.
More information
Regarding the Alliance For Change’s call for a re-
port on the Nicaragua meeting, the AG said, “I am reporting here, if the AFC wants more information, I guess they would write and ask. I don’t know what more information they would want,” the minister stated. He added, “The leader of the opposition wrote to the Managua meeting, and I observed that he didn’t give a commitment. Though he says that the opposition appreciates the importance of effecting the amendments, he didn’t say that the opposition is committed to have it passed within the timeframe. He went on to deal with a host of other issues, most of which are irrelevant to the passage of the legislation. He speaks of compromises and other areas which are wholly unconnected with it.” Minister Nandlall explained that many persons to whom he spoke privately at the meeting “were aghast and absolutely shocked that the opposition is taking the position that they are taking in Guyana. No one can really fathom how such an important issue can be made to be a political issue when it is the national interest that is involved; there are many other issues which you can play politics with. The meeting itself was quite surprised that the opposition in the Guyanese Parliament is taking the position which it has taken.”